21 Days: A Life Worth Living
by CBarbie92
Summary: "No, no, no. I don't think you really understand what this means L! You are going to die. You are going to stop breathing and—" Her breath hitched and a honey hand flew up to cover a pouted mouth. "You are going to go away."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**L Change The World**

**A/N:** This was a requested story from Jam-Man265! Picking up before L's Death the sequence of events in L Change The World has taken a turn away from the anime! For those of you that have read my Timid and the Brave DN story, you already know my OC of choice and her place among the story. If you haven't seen the movie, good luck keeping up. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_My name is Anna Wells. _

_This is not my real name however, but it is how you will know me. _

_There may still be some that can use the information you are about to read against me, my family, or the other letters. Please do not mistreat it. Do not underestimate the severity of this file. While holding no useful numerical or case data it does tell a story dear to my heart; a story of the historical kind._

_This is the story of my last twenty-three days with the detective L._

_Twenty-three days he spent doing all he could to change the world. _

**Computer Login:**

_Username: Ideal_

_Password: Lawliet_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Access Granted_

_..._

_File/F1225/Case Notes/Diary_

_..._

**File Login:**

_Password: HeIsNeverWrong_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Access Granted_

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought—"

"No L! You weren't thinking! Not of anyone besides yourself anyway!"

The detective frowned at his childhood friend, "I thought of Watari... and you..."

"No, no, no. I don't think you really understand what this means L! You are going to die. You are going to stop breathing and—" Her breath hitched and a honey hand flew up to cover a pouted mouth. "You are going to go away."

"My name needs to be the last written. I need to stop this."

"You could have stopped this without writing your name."

"I calculated the time we've known each other, and the time we spent together. I worked that in with the time you would spend in mourning and deduced..."

"WHAT?! You calculated my feelings!" Anna Wells shouted freely at the great detective L within the comfort of soundproofed walls, "You can't calculate how I feel about you! That's not how love works!"

"Love?"

"Yes!" Her breathing was heavy and she couldn't find the strength to shout, "I wouldn't still be here working this case if I didn't love you." Tears streamed down her face, "But now I don't have any time."

"Twenty-three days."

"What?" she whispered.

"I have twenty-three days starting from the day of Light's death."

Her expression was confusion mixed with pure irritation and pain, "Do I want to know when that is?"

"Tonight I plan to remove both Kiras and close this case. If you could, I would like to delegate my remaining aliases to the other children."

"I don't think so."

"Ideal..." he pleaded almost. His round eyes looking though her the way they did when he was seriously trying to figure her out. "I didn't know."

She offered him a dry, pitiful, chuckle, "I guess that's my own fault."

"Please..."

"No, it's fine. I trust you and the decisions you make. There's a reason you did this that I can't hope to understand."

"Is everything alright in here?"

Anna hastily wiped her tears as Watari entered the room and L shoved his hands deep into his pockets, "We are well Watari."

The old man chuckled knowingly. Having known both adults since they were very young he knew something was not well, but he wouldn't mess in their dealings. They were adults now and he could no longer treat them as children. At least not in some aspects, "Dinner."

The woman took her tray to her seat, opening a steaming plate of steamed rice with meats and veggies. Her glass contained wine and she smiled warmly as she took a sip, "Thank you Watari."

L ran his eyes hungrily over his own plate, instead filled with sweets, "Yes, thank you."

Watari just smiled, happy to serve them as he could and watch them grow. Watch them live on. "Ring if you need anything. I'm going to fetch Miss Misora."

Anna's fork paused in the air as he left the room, "He doesn't know, does he?"

"I think it would be best if he didn't."

* * *

"You can't sit in here with the lights out forever."

"Oh?" L looked up from lighting the candle before him.

"It's been three days." She reminded him as gently as she could.

"I hadn't noticed."

Anna walked over to his chair; almost hesitant to sit where she had for the whole of the Kira case, on the right arm. The leather had even worn slightly from her ritual. She perched there after a slight pause, "It's not your fault."

The detective took a deep breath, "I know..." He picked up one of the two black notebooks on his left, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Light thought he was god with that thing." The woman commented, disgusted.

"**He was." **

Ryuk drifted into the room and Anna chose to turn her head away. Both he and Rem were like a memory from a childhood nightmare that she didn't want to relive, "Ryuk." She said shortly.

He chuckled, **"Burning that won't change your lifespan."**

The book still hovered above the flame, "I'm aware."

"**Then why not become a god with that? Like Light?"**

L moved the book from the fire and finally turned his head to acknowledge him, "Tell me, did Light die like a god?"

Ryuk sputtered and flew away as Anna got up from the chair and L finally lit the book aflame. It screamed with multiple voices as he dropped it in an old chocolate tin and tossed the second book atop it.

The woman hugged herself as blue flames leapt and shouted in agony, then all at once they fire went out. "I wish that would have changed for you."

L stood and walked over to her, "I'm sorry."

Even with his curved back his height bested hers by just enough that she had to tilt her head so subtly to reach his lips. But she stopped and stepped back, "Maybe we should tell the other letters now?"

He nodded, unfazed, "Yes, I agree."

They both moved to the computer and L perched himself in Watari's chair. Anna ran her hand along the dark leather and frowned. She missed him. He was a father and a teacher, a friend to her and she knew he was L's reason for living. She had only hoped, that she could be his reason too.

Watari has died. We will mourn his death. L & I

L typed the message for both of them and scrolled through the list of letters that were assigned and still alive to receive the message. Each of the letters Anna and L had met as children, knew, trusted, all but one.

The mouse hovered over 'K'.

A hand on his shoulder help the detective make up his mind and he clicked it and sent the mass message. There was an immediate reply from K.

Thank you for the information. It comes as a shock. I will mourn his death, too. K

The hand on his shoulder ran down his arm and Anna twisted her fingers with his. "See?"

"Yes."

The two of them sat in the dark for a while longer, close and somewhat holding hands. L felt the fabric on his shoulder moisten and detected the change in the woman's breathing.

"Don't cry." He tried.

"It scares me that soon I will have to tell them this about you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Time**

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait on this. Semester is ending. Lots of portfolio reviews and tests. Also there are changes to the movie's make-up in this chapter. A sex change in the child has been requested by the person who requested this fic. I promise not to deviate any further. :)

* * *

"Are we only going to sit here and solve cases?" Anna was bitter, snatching another binder from the overwhelming pile while still glaring at L.

The detective ignored her, typing away at his computer obnoxiously. She opened her mouth to snap at him but instead a phone line opened and he tittered on in Italian, he'd found the serial killer apparently killing clergymen. Once finished he finally turned to her, "Yes. We are."

She huffed and opened a phone line of her own, rambling on in rapid-fire french. The woman she was talking to stumbled to keep up and asked her to repeat several things. By the end Anna was breathing heavily, worked up and annoyed. "Nineteen days left L! We can't sit here and drown in papers and data! Pour l'amour de dieu tu meurs!" she dipped back into french for that last bit but he understood.

He _was_ dying…

His next call was in English and Anna rose from her seat, dumping her finished cases in the pile on the floor and walking into the hallway.

She knew he was only saving time for the other letters. Why dump his cases on the children when he was alive to finish them? Either way, he was wasting his own time while saving it for others. There was so much he could be doing…

"Ideal."

His call from inside the room was her codename, she'd rather him call her name or letter, anything besides that self righteous lie of a codename.

L watched her form as she reentered the room and seated herself at the other side of the shrinking pile of cases. She grabbed one and addressed him without looking up, "Let's keep going."

* * *

Anna started in her sleep at the sound of the computer blaring. She knocked over a pile of papers and her unfinished cup of tea. L woke slowly despite the racket and inquired, "What?"

"The computer." she maneuvered through the debris in the office and reached the offending object, flipping open the lid, "Damn it it's 2 am."

A female operator, T, smiled and said, _"Phone call from Chaiang Mai, for Watari."_

L joined her as she said, "The only person who would be looking for Watari would be someone who doesn't know he's gone." T seemed to shrug with her expression and Anna looked up at the man at her shoulder.

"I, L, will take the call."

T patched the call through and immediately a frantic child's voice shouted, _"F1225! F1225! F1225!"_

The two letters looked to each other, understanding the code. They all had one, individually tailored to their letter. A code to signify an emergency, a gift, someone who needed protecting… their replacement.

"What do you want to do?"

L walked away from the chair and grabbed his phone, "It's a gift from F. We must accept it."

"F is dead." Anna said weakly, "How did that get past us?"

"Well, now we know he's gone."

Anna wasn't amused by how lightly L was taking the death of another letter. Her lips tightened and she glared at L, finding that she was doing that more often lately. "Only Watari can validate a replacement letter."

"We have no choice this time."

She turned back to the computer, hesitant. This was just what she needed, more stuff to worry about. F sent a gift, it was common practice to accept. She looked to Watari's picture on the desk, fourteen days. Fourteen days left and now this. "We accept the gift."

The line died and Anna immediately went into calling everyone they would need in order to locate the child and bring them here. L watched her quietly, noting her apprehension.

"You're worried." he finally said.

"We…_you _don't have a lot of time. This is the last thing we need."

"The cases are finished and in Watari's absence we must continue the way we were taught. Why do you want to change it?"

"I just want to make the most of my time with you…"

He waited to say something before settling on, "I'm sorry."

"No need." She stood and grabbed a jacket, sighing, "You're right. We were taught to look after each other, no questions asked."

* * *

"This would be easier if we knew exactly how F died." Anna spoke loudly above the whipping wind on the helipad.

L sighed, "How is that relevant?"

"F was investigating an outbreak of an unknown virus. It kills quickly apparently and my guess is _that's_ how he died. _But _someone could have got to him before the virus did. According to this video, he's seen some stuff he shouldn't have."

L bit the edge of his thumb as he watched the helicopter approach from the distance, "That's a possibility. The medical team should be able to handle it if it was the virus."

"I hope so." the woman's nose was even deeper in the file she was holding, and her voice raised another octave, "We could have a serious problem on our hands."

"I don't think that will be a worry."

Only then did Anna hear the rattling of the gurney as it passed and looked up in time to see a very small little girl calmly staring at the sky through her clear, sterile, bubble. She expected hysterics in a child going through such an ordeal or at the very least some tears. DNA samples were taken and blood was drawn but even still the girl stared blankly, almost bored at now the hospital ceiling instead of the night sky.

L stood close to Anna, close enough to feel her trembling as the child's eyes found them, standing at the end of her bed, watching.

There was a familiar feeling in her young gaze, a feeling of intellectual superiority, of knowing and understanding. The feeling of meeting another Whammy letter.

"She's scared, but she's physically sound."

"How is it that she's not infected?" L asked.

The doctor looked at the adults and put his hands on his hips, "I don't know."

Anna sighed tiredly, "F said the virus has been weaponized. We need to find a countermeasure before they perfect it." she looked at L who looked back at her, "The girl may be the key."

The detective put his thumb in his mouth, "Run every test you have."

The young woman cast a sideways glance at the small girl. She was indeed terrified. Beneath that blank stare her pupils were wide and quivering, "L…"

"Yes?"

There it was. That absolute "what-I-say-goes" tone of voice. She shook her head, he probably didn't even know he did it sometimes, "Nothing. Run the tests."

L pouted, "What's wrong?"

Anna put her back to the hospital bed and lowered her voice, "She's scared L."

"Hm..?"

"You know my specialty is people. And she's a child, she's not hard to read. Eyes wide, long moments of eye contact, she's asking for help."

"We are helping."

Her gaze was sharp, "Whatever."

"Ideal."

"Don't call me that." she snapped harshly at him.

The detective frowned as she left into the hospital hall. Anna just seemed to be getting angrier and angrier as his days ticked by. While his looming death didn't bother him much; he was more concerned with her state of mind after he was gone.

_*For god's sake you're dying!_


End file.
